PALO ALTO, CA - MAY 23: U.S. Men's National Soccer Team Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann speaks during a press conference at Stanford University on May 23, 2014 in Palo Alto, California. Klinsmann held the press conference to answer questions about his World Cup roster selections, including the omission of Landon Donovan. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)

Photo: Jason O. Watson, Getty Images

PALO ALTO, CA - MAY 23: U.S. Men's National Soccer Team Head Coach...

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Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski said he was elated to make the U.S. team.

Only five of his 23 players have World Cup playing experience and seven of them are 24 or younger, but coach Jurgen Klinsmann insists this is not a rebuilding year for his U.S. national soccer team.

Without going into specifics about why he chose one player over another, he said Friday that he made his seven roster cuts based on how the team could make the best possible showing next month in Brazil.

The team will face long odds trying to advance beyond its group, which includes heavyweights Germany and Portugal.

Klinsmann, whose contract runs through the 2018 World Cup in Russia, said his decision to leave out Landon Donovan, 32, while keeping such youngsters as forwards Julian Green, 18, and Aron Johannsson, 23, was not a sign he's building for the future.

He said he wouldn't have changed anything if he didn't have the long-term deal.

"This is based on today," he said. "This is based on what hopefully goes well the next seven, eight weeks. ... It is our strong feeling that these guys are ready for a World Cup. It's a very experienced roster. It's not a young roster."

Klinsmann wouldn't elaborate on his earlier statement that he and his coaching staff felt the other forwards were "a little bit ahead" of Donovan.

One of them was the Earthquakes' Chris Wondolowski. "We're very excited about Wondo, make that clear," Klinsmann said. The 31-year-old Danville native "brings an enormous amount of energy" to the team, he said. "He absolutely deserves to be on that plane to Brazil, and he's worked very hard for it."

Wondolowski said he found out he'd made the team when Klinsmann gathered the surviving players and said, "These are the 23 that I want to bring to Brazil."

"Absolute elation," Wondolowski said of his reaction. "It's a bit of a whirlwind. To have to say goodbye to some close friends and teammates - that makes it tough." He added he didn't think his work was done. "I want to push the starters," he said. "I want to be a starter."

Klinsmann said he wouldn't be doing justice to the players by publicly comparing them, but, referring to Donovan, he said, "Where maybe he's not the one anymore to go one-against-one all the time, or (in) going into the box, or finishing off, he brings other values to the table - his outstanding passing game, his experience, which is a big factor always."

As for his performance in camp, he said, Donovan "has done an amazing job the last 10 days. ... He's done everything right."